Spring.



A. N. LUKENS.

SPRING.

.APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6, 1908. v 904,490. Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

2 SEEETSvSHEET 1.

YUTNEB NTOR vA. N. LUKENS.

SPRING.

APPLICATION FILED JUNI: 1908. 904,490, Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

- z SHEETS-SHEET z.

/L I l. "Lid l K `l l I l .l /LZ WS/Z/YZ/n/ /SCL fs j INVENTQR wil-Ness/aa 1M I ATTORNEYS KO A UiviTED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE."

ALAN N. LUEENS, or ELiZABETE, NEW JERSEY.

sP'RiNo.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I., ALAN N. LUKENS, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and residing at Elizabeth, in the county of' Union and State ofNew Jersey, have infvented certain new and useful Improvements inSprings, of which the following'is a specification.

My invention relates to springs and particularly to friction springs andtlie'object of my invention lis to provide a simply constructed andefficient friction spring adapted foi-either draft or bearino' uses.

More particularly the object of my iii-ventioii is to produce a devicethat canbe used in railway service `with the saine supporting andretaining devices as are-now usedwitli the ordinary standard springs,-and that will actby friction to give. an easy riding inotioii and a highicsistingpower with small recoil force.

In the accompanying draiif'ings in which iny device is illustrated,Figure l is ase'ction of a steel coil spring to which iny frictiondevice in one forin is applied; Fig. 2 is a cross section thereof on theline Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is agsection showing t'lie position of the parts when the springis compressed; Fig. 4 is a section showing iny device ,applied to abearing spring; and 5, (S and 'i' Vare sections showing variousginodilied constructions in which in v device is eniployed. ,i y

It is well known that a coiled'or heli al spring subjected tocompression gives out as i great a force on the recoil or expansion. as

was absorbei'i iii the compression.

This is a great disadvantage when springs are applied to railway cars asbearing springs, and particularly so when applied asdraft springs, asthe sudden and iowerfiil recoil produces shocks and jolts which are verydisagreeable and unpleasant to the passengers, as well as dainaging'tothe cars.

j Vices-well known to those skilledin ai" It is extremely' desirablethat a spring be capableof absorbing or deadening the ordi- .nary shocksincident io'tiavel, with a soft easy motion, and when called upon toabsorb extraordinary or excessive shocks shall have a high resistingpower and that the' recoil shall be easy and gradual, not sudden andpowerful, to the detrinieiit of rollingstoek or the annoyance ofpassengers. Several deliave recently been perfected, which siieee fullyaccomplish,- tiel object outlined, but

Specification 0j Letters Patent.

tion of the car to. receive the spine.

with a coil lspring l0, a friction'al element 'members 1l, wedge 'shapedincross section, adapted to abut against. the folloiverplate vA, landarranged axially in the bore of the saine. This frictional :element maylioivever, be of any convenient shape and comprise as many or as fewmembers as may be desired. Cooperating with the frictional in Fig. l isshown as atruncated hollow cone 12, split to form a spring, which isadapted to abut at one end Iagainst the opl posite follower plate B,While the other and element ll. As the lfollower plates A and B approacheach other, tensioning the spring l0, the conical resilient member l2isforced ing the saine and pressing the members 1l coi-respond to theinclination ofthe outer face of the conical resilient ineinber 12. IiiFig. l this arrangement is reversed, the re'.

also the inner face of the friction eleiiieiit ll. while the outer faceof the latter is inclined to correspond to the inclination of the theupper membersof-.tlielcoil -beiiig of less diain'eterYt-han theowee,teaches the springis compi?, esed, to force the fiiictioninelilbers inagainf construction which requires special 'construewhich in Fig. lcomprises four independent 4 spring and in frictional contact with thewithconstantly increasing friction against' tapering coil 10a. VTheaction is seento be j precisely the saine iii-effect hoii'eveiVsince-i..

the resiiiei'it :member and fthe `lat-` meneame-17,1908., Appiicaiionmea :une e, was, seminar/,149. v

To this end I provide, in combination i element l provide a resilientelement which tapered end enters the bore of thev friction into the boreof the friction element, spreadof the bore ofthe spring, `Vwhile. Vtheinner face of ihefrictional eleinent is inclined tosilieni ineniher l2being cylindrical, as is Iii" l ter exerts. piecifsel'g tlie'saineopposition-tor the movement of the friction members as in the previouscase it exerted in forcing these members outward against the spring. In

Fig. (i both of 'these types are combined by using -a tapered spring b,afriction element 11b `the inner and outer faces of lwhich are bothinclined, and a conical-v resilient -member 121. The greatest possiblefriction is secured in this arrangement. y

The spring 10c may be arranged Within the friction member 11c as shownin Fig. 6,

. in which `case the resi1ient`meniber 12c incloses the latter. The sameprinciples of construction are employed, the spring 'in the exampleshown, being of the inverted conical type, andthe innerface of thefricofthe latter is vertical, corresponding to the resilient cylindricalmemberlQ". J Other variations in the arrangement and construction of thevarious elements, of the device will readily suggest themselves.

draft spring, it is advisable, though not nec' essary for its successfuloperation that the friction and resilient elements respectively be somounted 'that their return after the compression of the spring, may bestarted by.

a slight blow. For this. purpose the securing a ments are loosel -heldbetween their respec-` tive follower pla es and the spring 10 (Fig. 1f)or supplemental. cap plates L5 (Fig. 7), sothat as the spring expandsthe parts are carried with it from their position against a the followerplates (see Fig. 3) and the flanges thus receive a sudden blow againstthe'spring 'or cap plates, which effectually breakst'he `frictional-grip of the parts upon eacli other. lVlieii'supplemental cap plates areused (Figs. 5 and 7) the fianges'of the' friction and resilient membersmay be held beneath flanges 151 onV said cap platesA as shown in,l `ig.7 oi' the cap plates may be' used nierelyas a spacing means, the endsofl the springs overlappingthe edges thereof so 55 as to form secondaryabutments confining the fianges 13b and 14h as shown in Fig. 5. The capplates may be altogether eliminated shown in lfigs. 1,'3 and 6 and theterminal coils of the spring offset at 16to form abutmcnts. lt will ofcourse be obvious that this loose seating of the elementsllnd 12 is notessential and that the device will operate successfullyl if* the flangesare rigidly held. against the` follower plates. In fact this W'hen thisfriction device is -applied to ay nges 13 dhd14 on the respectiveelespring.

springs shown in Fig. 4.' In this figure. is a rtangular coils. Thisstyle of spring presents a greater friction surface for the meinber 11@Lto bear against. :The cross sectionv of the bar from Which the spring ismade is not material in any form ofv the any suitable bar maybe used.The simplicity ofthe deviceswhich I employ Will be recognized as astrong point in.. their favor. They can be-pract-ically prodevice, as

duced at small cost and'cannot become deranged When assembled. Thefrictional ele inentsfare designed to resist Wear 'as much as possible,and the resisting element being resilient, automatically adjustsitselftowhat little Wear may occur. The ,disagreeable vibration of theordinary spring is eifectually l dam eiied and the recoil,.'after an4.excessive shoclf, is gradual, as the friction elements act when thespring moves in. either direction. The amountof friction producedincreases as the spring is compressed and decreases again as the springis released, thus -furnishiiig frictional or retarding forcepropo'r`tional to the load, the spring releasing gradually Without sudden shockafter being compressed.

Various modifications'and applications of'- Y 'I 'the device may bedevised vithout departing from my invention and .I do not limit myselfto the constru'ctions. or applications shown. y

I claimlas my invention:

1. A friction spring comprising a coil spring and a friction memberbearing against the same'in combination with a resilient member tendingto hold the latterfin 'frictional engagenientiwith the spring when Athelatter is under tension.

y 2. friction' spring, comprising a coil spring 'and a 'friction memberbearing against the saine in combination with a resilientmember tendingtoincreasetthe frictional engagement of the latter with thespring on:1n-increase of the tension -of said .friction member lwith the springis'increased.

4. A friction spring, comprising a coil spring and a friction deviceaxially arranged with relation thereto, said device comprising' afriction member bearing against the-spring and a 'coperating'l resilientmember, said members being adapted to approach each other on thetensioning of the spring Where? by the frictional engagementof thefriction construction is preferred in thearrangement rmember with thespring: i's increasingly 13o the surface of the coil, said the tensionof the spring.

\ ocaso# greater as creases. i

A friction spring, comprising a coil and a friction element bearingagainstthe same, in combination with a resilient mem-4 ber to hold thefriction member in engagement with' the spring when the latter is undertension, said parts being shaped with relation to 'each other to producea Wedge action when the spring is tensionefl, whereby the irictionmember ispressecl with increas ing friction against the spring on anincrease or the latterls tension..-

6. A friction spring, comprising a coil spring, a irictionelementaflapted to be expanded or 'contracted in frictional engagement withsaid spring, in combination with a resilient element adapted to presssaid friction member against the spring.

7. A friction spring, comprising a coil spring, a flexible frictionelement in ltrictionai engagement with said spring, in combination witha resilient element adapted tlhold said friction clement in a:lrictionalY engagement with saicl spring varying with the tension or"the spring in-K 8. A :friction-spring, comprising a coil spring, afriction elementliaving a plural-v ity of members in ric'tionalengagement withsi spring, inv combination with a resilientV elementadapted `to lioldsaicl members in a frictiona-l engagementwitl'i'saidspring varying With the tension ci the spring.

A friction spring, comprising a coil spring, a friction member axiallyarranged with reference thereto and bearing against member being Wedgeshaped in longitudinal .cross section, in combination with acooperatingY resilient member adapted to increase the frictionalengagement `of said `friction memberI with said 'coil 'as the tension ofthe latter inl0. A friction. sprintf, comprising a coil spring, afriction member axially arranged ll. A friction spring, ical coilspring, a friction member axially arranged with reference thereto andhaving inclined sides bearing against the surface of the coil,'incombination With a coperating resilient member liaif'ing an inclinedsnri'ace bearing against said friction member ancl adapted. to increasethe rictional engagement of tbe latter with the coil as the tension cithe latter increases. v

l2. A iri'c'tion'spring, comprising a coil spring and a friction memberbearing against the same in combination with a resilient member tendingto hold the latter -in 'rictionai engagement with the spring vwhen thelatter is under tension, flanges on said friction and resilient membersand means in connection therewith for securing said members withrelation to the spring. 13. A friction spring, spring and a frictionmember bearing against tbesame in combination with a resilient membertending to hold the latter in frictional engagement with the spring whenthe'latter is under tension, flanges on said friction and resilientmembers and means in connection therewith for securing .members Withlost motion with relation to the spring.

lll. A friction spring, springfa friction element arranged Within the.base thereof, an opposed resilient element embraced thereby and adaptedtc hold said frictional element in engagement with the-spring and meansfor securing said elements to oppositely moving parts.

.comprising a coil comprising a coil i5. friction spring, comprising acoil spring, a friction element Wedge shapedin longitudinal crosssection arranged Within the base thereof, an opposed resilient elementembraced thereby and adapted to holri said rictional element inengagement with, the spring and vmeans for securing seid elements tooppositely moving parts.

in testimony whereof l have signed my name to speciication, in thepresence of tivo subscribing Witnesses.

QT lll. LUKES. Witnesses:

iVaL'rnn Ansa, L. rl, Gno'rn.

